Thursday

Techatticup Mine Tour

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Destination: The Techatticup Mine Tour at Eldorado Canyon, NV.
Distance from Point of Origin: 46 miles from Las Vegas.
Estimated (One Way) Travel Time: 65 minutes.
DirectionsThe Techatticup Mining Camp and mine are situated about four miles southeast of The town of Nelson. From the Stratosphere Casino head northeast on Las Vegas Blvd about 3 miles and turn right onto US-515/93/95 south towards Boulder City. Follow US-93/95 for 17 miles and then merge onto US-95 South (Veterans Memorial Hwy) toward Searchlight/ Laughlin/Needles. Travel about 10 miles until you come to NV-165 on your left! Once past the town of Nelson, continue winding downhill until you reach the Techatticup Mining CampThe Techatticup Mine is located on the property of the Techatticup Mining Camp.

General Description: The Spaniards made the original discoveries of gold in this area that is now Eldorado Canyon. A hundred years later the prospectors and miners of the day took over and established the notorious Techatticup Mine which became the oldest, richest and most famous gold mine in Southern Nevada. Along with others in the area, it produced an estimated 250 million dollars in gold, silver, copper and lead. After World War II, the mine was abandoned and left to the harsh desert elements for more than 50 years. Today, the mine has new owners who have labored hard to provide a realistic view into the areas past history.
Special Attraction or Points of Interest: The mine tour is about 1 hour in length and costs $12.50/person with a minimum of four persons. Reservations: 702:291-0026. See also, Daytrip - The Techatticup Mining Camp at Eldorado Canyon.
Primary Activity: Photography.
Secondary Activities: Hiking and Rock-Hounding.

Elevation: est. 2,400 ft.
Best Time To Visit: Open year round. As the Nevada Summer’s get quite hot, obviously the Fall, Winter and Spring months would be the most comfortable. In the summer months when temperatures are in the 100's, the mine stays at a cool 75-degrees.
Difficulty: Walking conditions around the immediate property and inside the mine would be considered easy. Hiking in some of the surrounding mountain areas could be classified as moderate to strenuous. Cautions: The area is know to have a lot of rattlesnakes.
Facilities: There are outside porta-potty facilities and the store sells water and soda.
Estimated Round-trip Time: 3-1/2 hours including the mine tour.

11/19/2011 Trip Notes: I took this mine tour for the third time this year. Because I didn’t bring my tripod, I wasn’t able to get many pictures inside the mine due to the low lighting conditions. The first picture (below left) is of the actual ‘sign-in’ board that was posted at the mine’s entrance so one could tell who was in the mine working. The picture (below right) is of one of the candle holders that were placed along the shafts and were the only source of light for the miners in the early days. The next two photos illustrate how difficult the mining must have been. There are several vertical shafts within the mine, dug both upward and downward, some extending to nearly 600 feet. Imagine how long all this took when the progress back in the 1880’s was a mere three feet per day.                     
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Unlike many back in the day, Rick and I made it out to see yet another day.


04/02/2011 Trip Notes: I took my first mine tour on 04/02/2011 on a daytrip with my cousin John from New York. I then took it again with Jim Herring and his friend Patrick on 06/29/2011. Using my tripod on the last tour, I was able to get a lot more pictures inside the mine.

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Slideshow Description: The slideshow above contains 90 pictures that were taken around the area and inside the mine during the four tours I've taken.